Theft-preventive device



May 22, 1923.

A. T.- HOLDER THEFT PREVENTIVE DEVICE Filed Oct.

H. fia/d'er Patented May 22, 1923.

ANDREW 'I. HOLDER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

THEFT-PREVENTIVE DEVICE.

Application filed October 11, 1920. Serial No. 416,179.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that 1, ANDREW ll HOLDER, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Theft-- Preventive Devices, of which the'following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to theft preventive devices and has relation more particularly to a device of this general character especially designed and adapted for use in connection'with motor driven vehicles and the like, and it is an object of the invention to provide a novel and improved device of this general charaoter'embodying a member-carried by the vehicle and adapted'to be adjusted or moved into a position to engage a roadway or other surface upon whlch the vehicle is arranged in a manner to hold said vehicle against travel in one direction vand preferably forwardly,

Another object of the invention 18 to provide a locking member or bar supported by the vehicle for swinging movement in a vertical direction and which member or bar,

when in one position, engages the roadway or other surface to hold the vehicle against forward travel, together with means for moving the member or bar into working or operative position and holding the same in such position.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved device of this general character including a member or bar supported by the vehicle for swinging movement in a vertical direction, together with manually operated means for swinging the member or bar downwardly into working position and wherein automatic means are provided for imparting upward swinging movement to the member or bar and to support the same in a raised or inoperative position.

The invention consists in the details of construction and in the combination and artageous for use, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth. a

The novel features of my invention will hereinafter be definitely claimed.

In order that my invention may be the better understood, I will now proceed to describe the same withreference to the accompanying drawings, wherein'i Figure 1 is a view in side elevation illustrating a vehicle having applied thereto a,

theft preventive device constructed in accordance with an embodiment of my invention.

F gure is an enlarged fragmentary V ew partly in s1de elevatlon and partly in section illustrating certain details of construction comprised in my improved device as herein embodied.

Figure 3 is a view partly in section and partly in rear elevation of the upper or pivoted end portion of the locking member orbar and the parts concomitant thereto, and

Figure 4 is a view partly in section and partly in top plan illustrating the means for manually adjusting the locking member or bar into lowered'or working position and for locking the same in such position As disclosed in the accompanying drawings, V denotes a motor driven-vehicle of a conventional type wherein the chassis or frame@ thereof at a point adjacent to but in advance of the rear drive wheels W is provided with a transversely disposed beam 1, Depending from each of the side beams v i point 5. The upper or opposite end portion of the bar or member B is transversely enlarged, as at 6, and is provided with a sleeve or barrel 7 having its axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal, axis of the bar or member B. The sleeve or barrel 7 loosely surroundsthe rod 4: whereby the bar or member 13 is supported for swinging movement in a vert cal dlIGCtlOIL,

disclosed as a coil spring, having one end portion secured to a laterally directed pinv 9 carried by the upper end portion of the bar or member B while the opposite end portion ofthe member or spring 8 is secured to an inwardly directed rod 10 carried by the adjacent side beam 2.

Extending upwardly and forwardly from the sleeve or barrel 7 and at a point remote from the member or spring 8 is a rock arm 11 terminating in an eye member 12. Secured to the eye member 12 is an end portion of a flexible member 14 which extends forwardly of the chassis or frame C and around a guide pulley 15 mounted as desired upon the chassis or frame C. From the'pulley 15, the member 14c extends outwardly and laterally and is suitably anchored, as at 16, to a chain 17, The chain 17 is directed through a suitable opening 18 provided in the body of the vehicle slightly above the forward end portion of the running board R.

Carried by the outer face of the body adjacent the opening 18 is a lock mechanism 19 including a sliding bolt 20. The bolt 20, when extended, is adapted topass through a link comprised in the chain 17 so that themember 14 will be held against retrograde movement and particularly after manual strain has been imposed thereon to swing the bar or member B downwardly into working or operative posltion w1threspect-to the roadway or other surface.

Upon pulling upon the exterior portion of the chain 17, the member 1 1 will cause the bar or member B to swing downwardly into a working or operative position, as par- I ticularly illustrated in Figure 2, and the lock mechanism 19, preferably of a key type, cooperates with the chain 17 to hold said bar or member B in such position. With the bar or member B in this position, attempt to move the vehicle V forwardly will result in the point or spike 5 penetrating the roadway or other surface whereby forward travel of the vehicle is prevented. Under certain conditions, there may possibly be a slight forward advance of the vehicle but in which .eventthe member or bar B will swing upwardly and thereby raise the rear portion of the vehicle, resulting in one or both of the rear drive wheels WV being elevated out of contact with the roadway or other surface.

It is of particular importance to provide means to prevent the bar or member B passing beyond a vertical center when in its working or operative position and for which reason I employ an arm 21 suitably secured to and depending from the beam 1. The lower end portion" ofthe arm 21 is provided with a head 22 which constitutes a bum er and which coacts with the bar or member B to prevent the same passing beyond a vertical center; I find it of particular advantage to providethe forward or contacting face of the head or bumper 22 with a notch 23, preferably V-shaped in plan, and in which enters the adjacent portion of the bar or member B in the event the rear portion of the vehicle should move upwardly and forwardly. v

When the chain 17 is released, the member,v or spring 12 will automatically throw the bar or memberB upwardly into an-inoperative position and maintain thefsame in such position so that normally the member or bar B will offer no obstruction or lfiinldrance to the desired travel of the veic e. 1 I

It is also to be particularly noted that my improved device, when applied to a vehicle" is noiseless. It will also be understood that by having the chain 17 pass through a sideportion of the vehicle, as hereinbefore de -f scribed, any unauthorized person tampering with the lock mechanism 19 may be readily detected as it will be obvious that any one, endeavoring to release the chain 17 without a key has unauthorized use of the vehicle.

From the foregoing description it is thought to be obvious that a theft preventive device constructed in accordance with my invention is particularly well adapted foruse by reason of the convenience and facility with which it may be assembled and operated, and it will also be obvious that my invention is susceptible of 'somechange and modification without departing from the principles and spirit thereof and for 'i this reason I do not wish to be understood hicle, tensioning means for holding the dog, V

normally elevatedon its pivot, means for locking the dog in'a lowered position, and an arm depending from and fixed to the side of the chassis and extending forwardly gages, the opposed walls of the notch actand terminating in a head at its lower end mg to prevent lateral distortion of the dog, 10

positioned substantially beneath the pivot when the dog is moved suddenly toward the of the dog, said head constituting an abutground.

ment for the dog to prevent the dog pass- In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my ing beyond a vertical center, the dog engagsignature.

ing face of the head having a notch into which the dog at a point below its pivot en- ANDREW T. HOLDER. 

